THERMODYNAMICS OF COMPLEX-FORMATION IN DIMETHYL-SULFOXIDE WITH LIGANDS COORDINATING VIA N,P,AS,SB, OR BI .3. COMPARISON BETWEEN AROMATIC AND ALIPHATIC-AMINES AND PHOSPHINES

The stabilities of the complexes formed by silver(I), cadmium(II) and zinc(II) with tri-n-butylamine and tri-n-butylphosphine have been determined in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). For the two latter metal ions, it has also been found that complexes are not formed in appreciable amounts with the triphenyl compounds Ph3X, X = N, P and, in the case of cadmium(II), also As. From these and earlier measurements referring to DMSO as well as aqueous solutions, it was found that the stepwise stability constants increase by roughly one power of ten for each aromatic ring replaced by an aliphatic group, evidently as a consequence of the improved donor properties of the coordinating atoms. Further, for ligands of the same type, the stabilities are always markedly lower in DMSO than in aqueous solution. This is certainly due to the fact that the solvent molecules compete more strongly for the coordination sites in DMSO than in water, as reflected by the larger heats of solvation found in the former solvent for the metal ions concerned. © 1979.